Kokoro No Kikkou
by Taiki Matsuki
Summary: Sequel to The Paperweight and The Journal - Takato comes back from his trip and gets the surprise of his life from Jen, a month later Hirokazu and Kenta start their adventure in "parenthood." Posted with Original Author's Permission 3-10: Complete!
1. Takato And Tamakun: Confessions

Kokoro No Kikkou  
Takato and Tama-kun: Confessions

* * *

Almost home, almost home, almost home...I miss him so much! Not that I didn't like the trip, it was _great!_ I spent a lot of time in the hot springs and baths, I _definitely_ had a great time! But..

...I miss Tama-kun. And I think he misses me, too. Kenta says the past couple days he hasn't been eating as much. Kenta thinks it's because Tama-kun is worried that I'm not coming back. Now I _need_ to see him!

Our car pulls into the alley and parks behind the bakery, I see Hirokazu, Kenta and Jen waving to us from the balcony into my room. I wave back.. I'm really glad they kept an eye on Tama-kun for me, I wouldn't have been able to sleep if I knew he'd be alone in my room in the Summer heat. It just gets _too_ hot in there without the door open, I tried it for one day and I was worried it was making Tama-kun sick before noon.

I know, I'm...a little "focused" on Tama-kun right now, but...He's my first real pet and I think he's great! He doesn't make a lot of noise or mess, he's _always _there when I need a friend and he's got a friendly personality! Or, well, I think he does, at least...Hirokazu responded to that statement before with "paperweights have personality?" ...He doesn't see what's so special about Tama-kun (I told Kenta to let Hirokazu borrow his glasses so he _could_ see how great of a pet Tama-kun is).

As soon as we stop I undo my seatbelt, get out of the car and go to the back for my suitcase.

"You..._really_ miss the turtle _that much?_" My Dad asks as I start past the driver's side door.

I nod. "Thanks again for him!" I really can't thank my parents _enough!_

I hear my Dad saying, "If I knew he'd be _this_ excited over a _turtle..._" to my Mom. Yeah, I...never had a pet until, well, three months ago. Guilmon, of course, doesn't count (he's my _partner!), _though I sort of treated him like a dog at first. But in my defense: There's no "Beginner's Guide To Digimon Taming" out there, I didn't know what I was supposed to do!

My parents, when they gave him to me, started by saying "We know it's not the _best _pet_,_ but we have health codes we have to live with..." They were _so_ wrong about him not being 'the best pet.' He really likes me, he makes a _ton_ of noise in his tank when he wants my attention (or Jen's).

Tama-kun will sit near me and watch me do my homework or sit in my lap while I watch television. I think he actually _does_ pay attention to the television sometimes, or at least finds the movement interesting. I heard from someone at the pet store that bearded dragons (this type of lizard they had on sale) actually watch television, too. I took that to mean that Tama-kun can do the same (turtles are smarter than they look, no matter _what_ Hirokazu thinks!).

The back door is unlocked, I asked Kenta and Hirokazu to unlock it when I called them as we got back into Shinjuku. I run through the hall, kick my shoes off at the bottom of the stairs and hurry up to my room with my suitcase. My door's open, Jen, Hirokazu and Kenta are standing outside of my room, smiling.

"I'm amazed it took you _this_ long to get up here," Kenta says, rolling his eyes. "A whole twenty-seven seconds, Takato...Tama-kun's _so_ disappointed in how slow you are." He says with a laugh.

"Turtles have _no right_ to bitch about how slow someone is," Hirokazu speaks up.

"Hirokazu..." I laugh. "Is he doing any better? I was _really_ worried when you told me about him eating less."

"He eats more when Jen's around," Kenta says, "so I think it was definitely because he misses you."

Jen nods. "He's seen you _everyday_ since you got him, then disappear for over a week...Tama-kun was worried you vanished."

"Then I need to show him I'm back," I say with a grin, I take my suitcase into my room and set it by my bed. I go over to Tama-kun's tank, he's resting by his food. As soon as I approach, he pokes his head out of his shell. I pick him up, he lets his legs out of his shell and starts crawling in mid-air, moving his legs _really fast_. "Miss me, Tama-kun?"

Hirokazu speaks in a squeaky voice, _"Takato, I missed you so much! Do you have any papers you want me to weigh down for you? That'd be so much fun! Please, please, please let me sleep on your homework!"_

"Hirokazu, _look_ at how fast that thing's running in mid-air right now," Kenta says. "That is _not_ a paperweight with legs!"

"Just wait 'til it calms down," Hirokazu says.

I laugh, going to my bed and sitting down. I set Tama-kun in my lap and he calms down. "Thank you guys _so much _for watching him. Anything I can do to thank you, just ask." I say. "Oh, and did you like the bread we left you?"

"Hell yeah, a week of Matsuda Bakery breads is a vacation!" Hirokazu grins.

"_Someone_ managed to make us go through those cinnamon rolls in about two days, thanks for the extra trays of dough in the fridge. We made them as soon as we were out." Kenta laughs.

"Anything for Tama-kun's petsitters," I say, picking up Tama-kun. "I missed you _a lot_, you know that?"

Tama-kun opens his mouth and closes it, 'running' in mid-air a little bit until I set him back on my lap. I catch a glimpse of Hirokazu giving Jen and Kenta a sort of 'he's _insane'_ look...Hirokazu-kun, I like my pet turtle...

...And, even I'll admit _this_ sounds weird but Tama-kun and I sort of understand each other. Or, he understands me because he's _really_ attached to Jen. The first day he met Jen, Tama-kun _charged_ for the edge of the table (as fast as a turtle can "charge," at last). Jen stopped him before he came close to the edge but...Most of the time, with Jen around, Tama-kun won't sit still unless he's allowed to sit in Jen's lap or on his stomach and chest if he's laying down. He even crawls onto the sides of his tank and makes a ton of noise to let us know, he wants to see Jen.

...He shows as much affection for Jen as I wish I could at times. Well, not sit in Jen's lap or anything like that but, well, it's _obvious_ how much Tama-kun likes Jen. And Jen thinks it's "cute" the way my turtle likes him so much... ...If he knew Tama-kun's _owner_ liked-No, _loved_ Jen that much...

...I don't think it would end well for any of us. Especially me...

"We'll leave you and your turtle to catch up," Hirokazu says. He goes to my closet and gets a travel bag and a taped up black garbage bag (both Kenta's and his luggage for the pet-sitting trip, respectively).

"Takato, um, tomorrow..." Jen begins. "Mind if I come over around noon? I want to talk to you and Tama-kun."

"...Dude, _don't_ say 'and Tama-kun,'" Hirokazu says. "I don't wanna send _two_ of my friends to the nut house!"

"Last night, Takato, Tama-kun told me how much he missed you," Kenta says with a grin. "He just went on and on about how much he loves you and missed you _so_ much!"

Hirokazu nods. "Thanks, Kenta, that reminds me..." He turns back to me. "Takato, remember this _always_: Turtles. Don't. Talk."

Jokingly, I lift Tama-kun up and put him to my ear. "...Tama-kun says otherwise." I reply. "And, sure, Jen. Come by anytime. Tama-kun says he'll be happy to see you again, too." I put Tama-kun back in my lap.

Kenta and Jen laugh, Hirokazu holds back a slightly annoyed chuckle and follows Kenta out of my room.

"See you tomorrow," Jen smiles. "I want to make sure Tama-kun's eating again, too."

"Thanks again," I say as Jen leaves after Hirokazu and Kenta.

I wonder what he wants to talk to me about...

After they leave the bakery, I put Tama-kun away and unpack. Tama-kun watches me from the tank, he does that a lot when I'm doing things. He sits with his legs in his shell and his head moves around as he watches me. I didn't know turtles could be so active or as 'observant' as he is.

After I unpack, I do some summer homework until it's dinner time. I bring my food up to my room with a plate of lettuce for Tama-kun. I eat at my table with Tama-kun in the middle...He's eating like he usually does, Kenta was right, I'm sort of touched by how much he missed me.

After I eat, I go to Tama-kun's tank...

...Yep, right where I left it. I knew Hirokazu wouldn't think to look under here. I didn't want to take it with me in case I lost it: My journal.

I write a new entry as Tama-kun eats...

_Just got back home from the hot springs, Tama-kun really missed me. Jen was with Hirokazu and Kenta when I got home, I was surprised to see him. I'm glad he helped them watch Tama-kun, Jen really likes him._

_Jen wants to talk to me about something tomorrow, too. I don't know what. It's probably not important, or else he'd have told me today. Either that or he wants to let me unpack and rest a little before. It was a long drive home._

_The springs were great, I really liked the turtle statue they had in front of them! It didn't look much like Tama-kun, but I liked seeing it. It reminded me of the turtle I had waiting for me at home._

_Tama-kun gave me a whole new appreciation for turtles, especially him. He's eating right now as I write. I like the way we both love strawberries. I might have some for dessert, actually. That sounds good._

_The cute thing Tama-kun did today:_

_When I got home and picked him up, he was so excited to see me he was running in mid-air. This turtle is so cute!_

* * *

It's a little after noon, Jen called and said he was on his way. He also asked how Tama-kun was doing. I told him he was eating again and how he and I split some strawberries for dessert. Mine had whipped cream, his didn't.

"Takato! Jenrya's here!" My Mom calls from downstairs.

"Thanks! Tell him I'm in my room!" I call back, going to the door frame. I go to check on Tama-kun, he's got his legs in his shell while he watches me. "Jen's here, Tama-kun...Happy?" I laugh. I do wonder if he can at least learn names, I know he at least recognizes my voice.

Jen knocks on the open door. "Hey, Takato-kun."

"Jen-kun," I turn and smile. Tama-kun perks up, he's already starting to the side of his tank. Jen laughs as he sees how excited he is.

"Can I close the door? For what I want to talk about..." Jen trails off. I nod, he closes the door.

"Have a seat," I say, motioning to my table.

"Mind if you bring out Tama-kun? I think he wants to say hi," Jen laughs as he sits down. Tama-kun is making noise against the side of his tank with his shell.

"Okay, okay, settle down, Tama-kun..." I laugh, picking up Tama-kun. I set him at my table in front of Jen. He calms down, putting his legs into his shell and lets Jen rub his chin with one finger.

"Any idea _why_ this turtle likes me so much?" Jen asks.

I shrug, sitting down next to Jen. "I dunno. Maybe you're good with turtles..."

"I don't think so, the last friend of mine who had a turtle had a turtle that liked to bite me," Jen shakes his head. "You wouldn't bite me, would you?" He asks Tama-kun. Tama-kun extends his head out a little more for Jen. "I'll take that as a 'no.'" Jen looks to me. "I...have kind of a theory."

"What's that?"

"Well, Kenta brought it up when we talked about it, mostly as a joke, but...Pets sort of pick up on their owners' feelings and things like that..."

"Oh, so it's because we're best friends?" I say. That's been my theory, except it's _not_ because we're best friends... ...It's a lot more than that. On my side, at least. I should be careful with how this goes...

Tama-kun gets up and starts toward Jen. I pick him up and put him further from the edge as he gets close...I get a _little_ worried about how enthusiastic he can be about seeing Jen. He doesn't seem to want to stop when he gets close to the edge of the table, sometimes. I don't want to risk a test to see if he _does_ know to stop.

Jen shakes his head. "Sort of, but...Well, Tama-kun likes Kenta and Hirokazu, but not as much as he likes me. Can't blame him not liking Hirokazu, the one who calls him a paperweight but...Kenta really likes Tama-kun and Tama-kun doesn't act _nearly_ as excited as when I'm around..." ...J-Jen...Don't...tell me you...suspect...

...W-Well, if he says anything, he's...joking! I mean...He wouldn't...

"Well, like I said, you're my _best_ friend. So, Tama-kun likes my _best_ friend the most..." I trail off. ...Am I being outted by _a turtle?_

Speaking of said turtle, Tama-kun starts another charge at Jen. Jen catches him this time and passes him to me. I gently take him.

"Well, that's...the thing..." Jen clears his throat, looking away. "If _I_ got a pet turtle...How do you think it would act around you?"

"All turtles are different, but...Um...If it's like Tama-kun, I guess...The same?" I-I'm...really worried about where Jen might go with this...

R-Really, Jen, I had _no_ control over this! I-I was scared out of my mind when I realized I _liked_ you, as in...A _lot_ more than a best friend! Please, _please_ don't tell me you...figured it out... ...Because of Tama-kun...

"If it was like Tama-kun, yeah...The turtle would know how much I like you. I...wonder if it could be _more_ affectionate, maybe..." ...M-More...?

"Jen...What are you...saying...?" I ask, putting Tama-kun back on the table. He sits still again.

Jen turns to me, smiling. "I think you know the answer to that."

"I-I...I don't," I shake my head. He _can't_ be...N-No way! I-I don't want to risk it if he isn't...

Jen laughs, he looks down at Tama-kun. "Tama-kun, do you know if Takato likes anyone?" ...Jen...Y-You...A-Are you..._confessing...? _Tama-kun picks that exact moment to start another charge at Jen. Jen catches him, saying, "I think your turtle is telling me something..."

"...I-I...I...N-No, Jen...H-he's...He's a _turtle!_ He...He doesn't...N-No...I'm not..." I stammer.

Jen smiles, picking up Tama-kun. "Takato, a little turtle told me that you liked me...Is he right?" ...No...No, please...No...

"I...I..." I look to Jen briefly, he's smiling. That's comforting, but... ...Is he...really...? "Would it bother you...If he was...?" I ask, quietly.

Jen shakes his head, still smiling. "Tama-kun could you give Takato a message for me?" He says as he sits him back on the table. "Could you tell him I like him, too?" He gives Tama-kun a little nudge, Tama-kun starts crawling to me.

All I can do is stare at Jen in shock, my eyes as wide as they can be and my jaw down. He...really said that...?

Jen has to catch Tama-kun as he gets close to the edge of the table, I-I barely noticed him getting close. I just...don't know what to say. Or do. Is this really happening? Did Jen just...tell me he feels the same...?

Jen sets Tama-kun back on the table, Tama-kun sits still with his legs in his shell, he stares at both of us. Jen then gives me a hug, saying, "It's okay, Takato. Don't be so nervous."

"You...feel the same way, Jen?" I whisper. My answer is a kiss on the cheek. I feel the blood rushing to my cheeks in response to that.

"For a long time, Takato. I didn't want to tell you at first because I was afraid of what would happen if you didn't approve. Kenta's 'turtle theory' made me think it was possible." Jen says.

I wrap my arms around Jen. "Thank you, Jen...chan."

Jen lets out a quiet laugh and ends the hug, looking to Tama-kun. "Thanks for telling me how Takato felt, Tama-kun. Good turtle."

Tama-kun yawns, as if to say "my work here is done." Ha ha ha!

* * *

Jen and I have been together for about two weeks now. We haven't told anyone yet, of course. Our families _definitely_ can't know. Neither of us are sure how they'd take to the news.

Jen's walking me to a restaurant, I don't know which one it is. He said it's "a surprise." We've been on a few dates and...We've kissed a few times in private. I think Tama-kun is a little jealous, we kissed on my bed once with Tama-kun in my lap. He started scratching on my stomach to try to get my attention, and later he did the same to Jen's leg...

...We try to include him whenever Jen comes over. I think he's become even _more _affectionate towards Jen since we got together. I guess Tama-kun really did pick up on my feelings for him.

"We're here," Jen says, smiling. He motions to the sign above the restaurant.

I laugh, "Great choice, Jen-chan." The restaurant is called 'The Sleeping Tortoise Tea House.' There's a pair of stone tortoise statues in front and turtle shells painted on the doors. Jen holds the door for me as we go inside...

...And Hirokazu and Kenta are standing at the waiting area in the entrance.

"About time," Hirokazu grins. ...Th-They were..._waiting_ for _us_...?

I look to Jen, nervously. We haven't told _anyone_ about us, so...We can't be on a date _with_ Hirokazu and Kenta! I sort of quietly stammer, I have _no_ idea what to say to Jen in front of them that wouldn't hint at anything...

"...Takato, what's wrong? You look nervous..." Kenta trails off. His eyes suddenly go wide, his jaw falls. "Wait! Don't...Don't tell me...You...and Jen...? T-Takato! I'm _shocked!_" Crap...

"N-No-"

"We're double dating, Takato-chan," Jen says.

"Jen, I wanted to have _some_ fun..." Kenta pouts.

"_Double_ dating...?" I look to Hirokazu and Kenta. "Y-You two...?"

"Hiro-chan confessed while we were turtlesitting," Kenta says, hugging Hirokazu. Hirokazu blushes slightly.

"Er...K-Kenta...?" Hirokazu trails off. I guess he's not _quite _ready to be so 'out.' To be honest, I _never_ suspected Hirokazu for a minute...

...Kenta? Um... ...Less suspected more..._known_. But I didn't want to say anything in case I was wrong, I didn't want to make him mad or suspect me instead.

"Sorry, Hiro-chan..." Kenta lets him go with a smile. Hirokazu clears his throat, nervously.

"Wait, you said Hirokazu confessed while you were watching Tama-kun...?" I ask. ...Exactly how long were those two _alone _in_ my room_ as_ a couple?_

Kenta nods. "Yeah, a few days into your trip." ...Er... ...Kenta-kun...

...Sorry to ask this, but...I have to know for my own sake, so I can sleep tonight. And know if I need to take a _long bath_, too.

"Hirokazu-kun, Kenta-kun...Um, _please,_ don't take offense to this question but I sort of _have_ to know since you were, um, in my room alone for a week..." I say, glancing away. "...Do I need to wash my sheets?" ...I _know_ Hirokazu. Very well.

Kenta's eyes go wide, but he starts laughing and shakes his head. Before he can speak, Hirokazu speaks up, "Yes! You do! I'd suggest burning them and buying new ones, actually!"

"H-He's joking! We...We didn't..." Kenta shakes his head.

I let out a sigh of relief. "...Sorry to ask, but..."

"Trust me, I'd want to know, too, if I were you," Kenta says, laughing. "We slept on the floor, _nothing more."_

We go to a table Hirokazu and Kenta had reserved. We're sitting near a _huge_ tank of turtles. All of them are box turtles of different species, one even looks a little like Tama-kun. We've all been watching them since we sat down, though Hirokazu spent some time looking at his menu.

"I like this place," I say. "Great idea, Jen-chan." I feel a _little_ weird calling Jen 'Jen-chan' in front of Hirokazu and Kenta...But with the way Kenta's sort of attached to Hirokazu's arm, it's not _as_ weird I thought it would feel. I am...really surprised that they're together, but...

...Given all the jokes Ruki and Ryou make (actually, even Juri and_ Shiuchon_ join in now and then), it makes sense.

"Of _course_ you like this place," Hirokazu says. "It's like a shrine to turtles here..."

"Hiro-chan, be nice, Tama-kun's how we got together."

"I'll give him some papers to weigh down later as thanks," Hirokazu rolls his eyes.

"I like the turtle tank a lot. I want to bring Tama-kun next time to make friends." I joke, Jen and Kenta laugh.

"Tama-kun could use some friends..." Kenta trails off, grinning. "I mean, as much as he likes you and Jen, he could use some turtle friends."

"Kenta, what are you getting at?" Hirokazu asks.

"Nothing, Hiro-chan, but I _might _ask the waiter if Tama-kun can come next time..." He says, Hirokazu groans. "I'm _joking,_ Hiro-chan."

"Thank the Gods..."

I laugh. Hirokazu really is getting tired of turtles, but...I can't help it, Tama-kun is not only my first pet but because of him, I'm with _Jen!_ ...I've been giving him extra strawberries in his dinner ever since. He likes them a lot, but I think he's also partial to mangos.

...Thanks, Tama-kun, I have Jen-chan thanks to you.

* * *

Ori's Notes:  
Eh, I wanted to do a follow up to "The Paperweight and The Journal." Not sure if this is going to turn out too well, but I wanted to cover what happened _after_ Takato got home from his trip.

Hope you like how it goes, I think this is one of my weirder ideas...

The title, by the way, means "The Heart's Shell," though the word "Shell" (Kikkou) means "Turtle Shell." I've said it before and I'll say it again: Turtles. Are. AWESOME! Go Turtles!

* * *

Taiki's Notes:

I really like Tama-kun, he's so adorable! Though, I see Jen avoided the _real_ reason he found out Takato liked him. I don't blame him since Takato would be quite upset with Kenta and Hirokazu (and possibly Jen).

As usual, I wonder where Ori could be going with this one. The chapter title gives me an idea but I don't like to assume I know anything that goes on in that twisted mind of Ori's. Especially as I'm often wrong.

-Taiki Matsuki


	2. Kenta and Jin: One Month

Kokoro No Kikkou  
Kenta And Jin: One Month

* * *

It's been a month since Hiro-chan and I got together and one month since what I thought was the worst day of my life. When Hirokazu found Takato's journal the night before, I _still_ can't believe I went along with _reading it!_ But...Well...

...We found out Takato was gay. I was so...Excited! I managed to hide it from Hirokazu, keeping it to myself (even though he, apparently, suspected me as gay for a while). It was hard because I had a chance to be with Takato! He was gay, too! I kept my secret so long because I was afraid of what Takato would think, if he might hate me...And he was gay, too.

But, as we read on...It was obvious he loved Jen. Not me. I was barely even mentioned. It was mostly about Jen and how much Takato _loved_ him. I had no chance against Jen, Takato loved Jen so much...And it hurt me so much to realize that, but...I guess I deserved it for reading his journal like that. I-I felt so bad about doing that, I don't know how Hirokazu can do things like that guilt-free!

I decided to do Takato a favor, to make up for reading his journal. I decided to come out to Jen to see how Jen would react and if, maybe, he liked Takato, too.

In the back of my mind, I kept thinking, "Jen's straight, just confirm that and Takato's yours! You lucky bastard!" The back of my mind doesn't know the universe and its hatred for me that well, obviously...

...Jen loved Takato, too. He even _felt bad_ that he did because I told him about how much I liked Takato. I told Jen that I'd rather see that Takato was happy and with who he wanted than just with me. I'd...be okay.

...I wasn't okay. I... I really wasn't...

...I...I...

...I _hated_ myself for waiting so long! For being such a coward...I missed my chance and...I'm such an _idiot!_

I'm sure at least Hirokazu knows that I cried in the bathroom for a while. He knocked on the door to check on me, I was gone so long. I...I just had to be alone. I was so mad at myself. Not Jen or Takato, _myself._

After Jen left, Hirokazu gave me some space. I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening sort of playing with Tama-kun, just letting him rest on my lap or my stomach. I think he knew I needed some cheering up and he did just that...That turtle's good for company. I just...sat there and pet him for a while, thinking and trying to get over what happened...

...And then Hirokazu confessed to me. He told me he was bi (in his own words that didn't include "I'm bi") and that he liked me... ...And asked if we could maybe give things a chance. I accepted, of course. Partially because, well, I thought it could work and also because...I needed _someone_ after what just happened.

It's been a month, like I said, and I'm over what happened. Hiro-chan and I have even double-dated with Jen and Takato a couple times. I was okay with that, Hiro-chan thought I might be upset. Though, when Takato wasn't around, Jen asked if I was "really okay," I told him I was. I'm more than happy with Hirokazu and he really does love me. It's hard to get him to admit to it, but...He loves me. Of course, neither of us want our families to know just yet (same with Jen and Takato), but...We're all _very_ happy right now. It's been the best month of our lives, I'd say.

And, well, I've thought of a special way to celebrate our first month together. I just _know_ Hirokazu is going to hate this, but... ...I think it might help him understand _why_ Takato is so "obsessed."

I'm on my way to Hiro-chan's apartment with a pair of turtles, a tank, a set up and a blanket (covering the tank and turtles). I could afford a new tank for myself and some extra supplies. The pet store was having a two-for-one sale on turtles, which is the main reason I'm able to do this. The tank I'm giving Hiro-chan is an old fish tank we don't use that I cleaned up, it had a leak so it's bad for fish. Perfect for a turtle...

...A _massive_ turtle. The one I picked for myself, which I named Jin, is a little smaller than Tama-kun. I picked him out for the unique markings on his shell (looks a little like a star). Hirokazu's turtle? ...I went with...quite possibly the biggest box turtle in the history of box turtles. This turtle is _huge!_ I thought Hirokazu would like that, at least. He gets the biggest and best box turtle on the market!

We're proud parents now! We have turtles! Our babies! I _so_ blame Takato for putting this into my head when he suggested letting Tama-kun go back to that restaurant to make friends. Now he can have friends without violating restaurant health codes.

I walk up to Hiro-chan's door, knocking. He answers the door, his parents are out for the day.

Hirokazu opens the door, immediately giving me a confused look. "...Kenta-chan...? What the hell is that?"

"Happy first month, Hiro-chan," I say, smiling, stepping inside with the tank in my arms. It's still covered by a blanket so Hiro-chan can't see what's inside. The turtles are in the tank and the other supplies are in a bag looped on my wrist. I kick my shoes off at the door and take the tank to his coffee table so I can rest my arms. "Surprise!"

"...It's been a month already?" Hirokazu asks. I had a feeling I'd be the only one keeping track and celebrating, not that I mind.

I nod. "Time flies when you're in love..." I joke. I pick the tank up again, saying, "I got you a present..."

"Aw, geez...Kenta-chan, I-I didn't...know we were celebrating and...I'm _so_ sorry..."

"Don't worry, you accepting this is my present," I grin. "Just do me a favor and wait out here while I set it up in your room, okay?"

"...Okay..." Hirokazu gives me a slow nod. "What did you get...?"

"You'll see..." I grin, taking the blanket covered tank and supplies into Hirokazu's room. "I might be a minute, so watch Xros Wars or something."

"Right...Thanks, Kenta-chan...I feel sorta guilty..."

"Don't, Hiro-chan. Trust me, this is a gift for_ both_ of us," I say as I close the door to Hirokazu's room. I clear a space on his dresser and start to set up...

It doesn't take long, I just had to find an outlet for the light and pour some rabbit pellets into the tank (Takato told me to use those, turtles can accidentally eat their litter with their food and they can digest rabbit pellets without trouble - Other litters, not so much).

I have both turtles in a plastic travel tank next to the big tank, still covered with a blanket...

"Hiro-chan! It's ready!"

Hirokazu steps into his room. "...What the _hell_ did you get me...?" He gives me a confused look, staring at the tank.

I go to the travel tank and take off the blanket, taking Hirokazu's _massive_ box turtle out and putting him in the tank. "...What do you think?"

"...Kenta-chan, _why? _Just..._Why?_" Hirokazu lets out a quiet groan. I knew he wouldn't be _too_ thrilled but...

...I _so_ wanted a baby!

"Takato inspired me and...Well, it was two-for-one," I say. "And I had a spare tank, so..."

"...I-I...I don't know..."

"You'll make a _great_ father," I joke, stepping up to Hirokazu and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Hirokazu stares at the box turtle in a tank in front of him on his dresser. "Just...don't do anything _insane_ like Takato, okay?" Hirokazu says.

"We already set up a play date for Tama-kun and Jin," I say.

"Jin? That's what you named your turtle?" Hirokazu asks.

I nod. "What'll you name yours?"

Hirokazu stares down at his turtle, scratching his chin. "...I got it! The _perfect name_ for a turtle!"

"What is it?"

"Paperweight-chan!"

...Why am I surprised? "...Paperweight?"

"Yeah," Hirokazu shrugs. "I mean, that thing's _huge!_" He goes to the tank and picks up his turtle. He starts with one hand but has to use both. "_CRAP!_ He's..._really_ heavy. How'd you carry him and everything else here by yourself?"

I laugh, "I thought you'd like the biggest and best turtle they had." I say. "Seriously, that turtle just screamed 'Hirokazu' to me. He looks kinda tough." For a turtle, at least.

"...Thanks, Kenta. I'll...get used to him, I guess. He is sorta cute." He sits on a cushion on the floor next to the small table I put Jin on. "And that's, uh...?" He sets Paperweight on the floor next to him.

"Jin-chan, my turtle." I say, sitting down. "I set up his tank in my room already, I wanted to bring him with your turtle, though. They're sorta friends already."

"Cool," Hirokazu leans forward and looking closely at Jin. "Nice pattern on the shell. That why you picked him?"

I nod.

Hirokazu turns. "Hey, Paperweight, wanna play with-...Paperweight?" Hirokazu looks around on the floor around him. "Crap, where the hell did he go? I had my back turned for...two seconds!"

I look to the door to Hirokazu's room, it's closed. "He can't have gotten far..." I look under the table, no sign of Paperweight. Hirokazu's crawling around his dresser, lifting up clothes and anything he could have crawled under.

"PAPERWEIGHT!" Hirokazu calls. "Come out! Not cool, Turtle! Not coo-Wait...What's that...?"

From across the room, we hear a rustling sound. It's coming from under Hirokazu's bed.

"...He got across the room _that fast?_" Hirokazu looks to me. "That's...a fast turtle."

I nod. Especially since the floor is relatively clear between the table and the bed, we would have easily seen him. He got there _before_ we noticed he was missing.

Hirokazu and I crawl over to Hirokazu's bed. "...Heh, living up to his name. He's sitting on a magazine..." Hirokazu reaches under his bed and slides out the magazine with Paperweight on top of it. "Err...!" He turns red, I hold back a laugh.

...Paperweight is sitting on a Daiken Yaoi Doujinshi. "H-Hi-Hirokazu...I-I had no idea...you were...a Daiken fan..."

"...Not cool, Paperweight, not cool..." Hirokazu groans, picking up the turtle and sliding the doujinshi back under his bed. "Can we pretend you never saw that?"

"No," I shake my head with a laugh.

"Really not cool, Paperweight..." Hirokazu groans, getting up and putting Paperweight back in his tank. "...Thanks for the turtle, Kenta-chan. I'll...try to get you something, too. Sorry I didn't realize..."

"Hiro-chan, Paperweight _just_ gave me the perfect present," I laugh. "And I didn't think you'd keep track like I did." I stand and step up to Hirokazu and give him another kiss on the cheek. "Just promise me you'll take good care of him."

"I'll let him weigh down my homework every night."

"...Hiro-chan, I know that's a lie. You _never_ do your homework," I say.

"Okay, I'll let him weigh down _your_ homework," Hirokazu replies with a chuckle.

"Now _that_ makes sense!"

Hirokazu and I sit back down at the table, I show him Jin. He sits in front of us, just staring. "...Does he do any tricks?" Hirokazu asks.

"He's a turtle," I shrug. "He's good at eating fruit." Which reminds me... I reach to the bag I brought and pull out a bag of chopped lettuce and fruit with a couple dishes. "I brought you some turtle food, too. Mostly because you don't strike me as someone who keeps fresh vegetables on hand."

Hirokazu laughs, "You know me well, Kenta."

I make up two dishes, I set one in front of Jin. He starts eating, the other I set next to him and get Paperweight out of his tank. The massive turtle starts chowing down _immediately._ "I gotta warn you, he eats _a lot_." I've had Paperweight for a couple days, he eats twice as much as Jin does.

"He's a growing turtle," Hirokazu grins. "Eat up, Paperweight! I wanna ride you someday!"

Given how big that turtle is already, that _might_ be possible...

* * *

Takato met Jin the other day with Paperweight and Tama-kun, they played around in Takato's room. Jin and Tama-kun sort of walked together and nudged each other now and then while Paperweight...Um...

...Paperweight's kinda weird. He just did laps around us and Takato's table. He's a _really_ active turtle, Hirokazu kinda likes that.

I'm watching Xros Wars on TV with Jin on my stomach as I lay on the couch. He's sitting with his legs in his shell and head head poking out, staring at me. My cell phone goes off and startles him, he goes fully into his shell. I pick him up and set him on the coffee table as I get up to answer it. "Hello?"

"Kenta-kun, hey," Takato says. "I hope I'm not bothering you."

"No, I was just watching Xros Wars. What's up?"

"I was wondering, Jen and I have our first month coming up, too, and...Would you mind if I copied your idea?"

"You want to give Jen a turtle?"

"I think it'd be fun if all of us had a turtle," Takato replies with a laugh. "And I think Jen-chan feels a little left out of the club. Even _Hirokazu_ has a turtle...How're they getting along?"

"Hiro-chan is...not thrilled, but he thinks Paperweight is 'interesting' at least," I reply. It's true, Hirokazu's not exactly a 'turtle person,' but he likes the way Paperweight does laps whenever he's out of his tank. He also pushes thing, like Hirokazu's DS or PSP, as he does laps...

...I almost wonder if Paperweight is _exercising_ when he does things like that.

"I hope he comes around...Tama-kun made me _so_ happy when I first got him, and he still does. Especially since, well, he's why Jen-chan confessed and all...I-I really can't believe he felt the same."

"I gotta know, which is easier for you to believe - Jen feeling the same or Hirokazu liking guys?" I ask. Seriously, I _never_ suspected Hirokazu for bi.

"...Jen-chan feeling the same while Tama-kun sings us a love song on our first date in Paris, France."

I laugh, "Yeah, that sounds about right. And go for it, I think Jen would make a great Father."

"Thanks, Kenta-kun! We'll set up a play date for all of them after Jen gets his turtle! It'll be great, I'll even set up a little turtle pen!"

"Awesome, let me know what Jen thinks of his new friend."

"I will. See you, Kenta-kun!"

"See ya." I hang up.

...Jen's gonna get a turtle, too... We've got a club going: The Gay Chibi-Gamera Club! Ha ha ha!

* * *

Ori's Notes:  
Again, I'm not sure why I decided to follow up with this...I guess I just like turtles that much.

Well, actually, the main reason is an upcoming chapter (the one after the next one). It's an idea that hit me and I didn't want it to go to waste.

Also, for those who don't know: Gamera is a Godzilla-like monster that's a giant turtle. "Chibi" just means "Small" or "Mini."

* * *

Taiki's Notes:

Ha ha ha, I like how Paperweight lived up to his name _and_ embarrassed Hirokazu at the same time!

And that certainly is an interesting "theme" among our gay tamers: Turtle ownership. Are they Turtle Tamers, now?

-Taiki Matsuki


	3. Jianliang and Xiao Qinggui: Out

Kokoro No Kikkou  
Jianliang and Xiao Qinggui: Out

* * *

It's been about a month since I told Takato how I felt about him...I could only do it because I knew _for sure_ he liked me. Before, I had a feeling he might have, at least, been gay. Ruki once told me Takato was "checking [me] out," but...I figured it was Ruki being Ruki. Unless I knew for sure, there was _no_ way I'd have ever told him. I didn't want to lose him as a friend or make things weird between us. He's too important to me to even think of running that risk.

And it turns out he felt the same. He loves me as much as I love him. And Tama-kun is definitely a sign of that, I really think he did pick up on Takato's feelings. I didn't know turtles could do that, but...Reptiles are smarter than people give them credit for, I guess. And I think Tama-kun likes me even more now that Takato and I are together, he gets jealous when we're focused on each other instead of him, too.

...I feel a little bad that the real reason I know is through Hirokazu and Kenta reading his journal. It makes me feel a little better that I didn't pry further than just assuming he wrote something about liking me, but... ...Well, I'd say I can't believe they did that, but I know Hirokazu. I know Hirokazu _too_ well...

...Except for the the whole "bisexual" thing, _that_ was a surprise! But also a good one, he liked Kenta and because of that Kenta has someone. Hirokazu, as hard as it was for him to admit, told me he was bi while Kenta was "in the bathroom." We both know he was crying, but we never told him we knew. He told me that he'd talk to him that night, try to make him feel better. Kenta's definitely happier now with Hirokazu than he was before. They both love each other and Kenta's not afraid to show that. Hirokazu sort of is, but only in front of others and _especially_ in public.

I feel _really_ bad for Kenta, because I know how I would feel if Takato liked him instead of me like Kenta suggested. Kenta would rather Takato be happier with me than just with him... ...I can't thank him enough for that. He could have just confessed to Takato and left me out entirely. But he didn't, because Kenta's nothing like that. He's a great friend and...Hirokazu's lucky to have him.

...Thank you, Kenta. I promise I'll make this up to you someday. I'm glad you're happy with Hirokazu...And Jin and Paperweight (their "babies," as Kenta calls them). I _still_ can't believe Kenta bought a pair of turtles for himself and Hirokazu. I guess it makes sense, given how Tama-kun is the partially responsible for all this - Even _finding_ Takato's journal for Hirokazu, I sometimes wonder how smart that turtle really is.

And speaking of turtles, I'm with Takato on the way to the pet store a few blocks from the bakery. It's where his parents bought Tama-kun, Takato says he needs to buy some sort of vitamin powder for him. I'm tagging along, we just got back from a date.

"Can you believe it's been almost a month?" I say, smiling. Takato and I are walking next to each other, we're too close to the bakery to hold hands. _Neither_ of us want our families to know just yet...We don't know how they'd react. I'm pretty sure my sisters would be open to the whole thing, Lianjie would probably think it's gross or something but he wouldn't hate me...I just have no idea how my parents would react. That's sort of the big concern.

Takato nods. "You've been keeping track, too?"

"Well...I was wondering if you wanted to celebrate. It's tomorrow, isn't it?" I ask.

Takato shrugs. "If you want to..." Ha ha ha, I hope Takato doesn't mind that I got him a present. Last Christmas he got a DS - I got both of us a copy of the latest Digimon World DS game. I thought it'd be something we could do together, it has a _great_ VS mode according to the online reviews. And Takato loves the Digimon World series.

"Oh, I don't know..." I try to play casual, I don't want him to know I got him something. "It's only a month...But one of the greatest months of my life."

Takato laughs, "Thanks, Jen-chan." He approaches the door to the pet store, opening it for me. I step inside and he goes in after me.

It's your average pet store, nothing too fancy and they don't really seem to specialize in anything. Up front is a display of rabbits and hamsters that customers can pet. I follow Takato to the reptile section, next to the tropical fish tanks. He grabs a blue labeled plastic container of 'vita-turtle powder.'

"That's it?" I ask.

Takato nods. "Yeah, I need to sprinkle it in Tama-kun's food, gives him extra vitamins. I read online he needs it since he can't get direct sunlight as much as he needs." He walks to a nearby display tank. "Hey...Tama-kun's brothers and sisters!"

I laugh, Takato's looking at a tank _full_ of Zhou's Box Turtles. There's about a dozen of them. "Yeah, but Tama-kun's one of a kind..."

"Definitely," Takato nods. "I mean, you couldn't get a better turtle than Tama-kun...Though, if I had to pick..." He points to an active one running his shell along the front of the tank. "Maybe that one. What about you?"

I shake my head. "Nah, that one's trying to escape it looks like...Tama-kun only wants out when someone he likes is around."

"Like you?"

I laugh, nodding. " I guess...I sort of like that one," I point to the smallest turtle, it's sitting in the corner by the food all but its head in its shell. "It looks like it keeps to itself and...I dunno, it looks more like it's _watching_ the other turtles. I take that as a sign it's smarter."

Takato nods. "Yeah, I see what you mean... He's 'studying' his surroundings."

"Plus he's the smallest, that automatically makes him cute," I joke.

We spend another couple minutes looking at turtles before Takato pays for his vitamin powder. He goes back home, I go to my apartment. We make plans to meet at my apartment for lunch tomorrow, everyone will be out that day. And, if not, I know of a good ramen shop we could go to. It's near the turtle tea house.

Takato's sort of become a turtle fanatic since Tama-kun. I can't blame him because it's his first _real_ pet and all. He's been a _little_ less enthusiastic ever since the trip, but we still have Tama-kun out whenever I'm over. But that's mostly because Tama-kun, like I told Takato, tries to break out of his tank to see me...

...Takato has a_ very_ affectionate turtle.

* * *

The next day, around noon, I get ready for Takato. Unfortunately, our date and anniversary lunch'll have to be at that ramen shop. Lianjie is home today, "studying" for a college course. By "studying" I mean "watching television and using his text book as a coaster for his beer."

I won't try to get Lianjie out of the apartment, though...That would be a little suspicious.

I'm watching television with Lianjie, an old historical drama from China (Three Kingdoms) when there's a knock at the door. Takato's here.

"Have fun with your friend, Jianliang," Lianjie says, yawning. "I'll let you know what happens at Red Cliff."

"Cao Cao's navy goes 'boom,' what don't I know?"

"Aw, man, you spoiled it!" Lianjie jokes.

I open the door...And my jaw falls. Takato's standing in the hall...

...With a tank and a turtle. "Y-You...brought...Tama-kun...?" I ask.

Takato shakes his head. "Happy a-"

"Lianjie, could you help Takato with his turtle?" I say, quickly. I forgot, I didn't tell Takato there was a chance someone might stay home. Takato gives me a quick, apologetically-panicked look. I shake my head, smiling. He won't suspect anything, Takato-chan.

"He...brought the _turtle_ with him...?" Lianjie goes to the door. "Dude, you have a problem."

"A-Actually...This is Jen's turtle," Takato says with a smile. ...What?

"..._M-My_...Turtle...?" I ask.

Takato nods. "Hirokazu and Kenta got a turtle, I thought you should join the club. It's the one you pointed out at the pet store yesterday."

"Y-You mean...You _planned_ that...to...?" I-I can't believe this...Takato, that's...really sneaky. I-I didn't know you had that in you.

Lianjie helps Takato with the empty tank with a turtle inside of it. Takato has a bag of supplies looped around his wrist. "A pet turtle? Awesome! A friend of mine had one of these...Zhou's Box Turtle, right?"

Takato nods. "Just like Tama-kun."

"Geez, Jianliang, you have awesome friends...None of mine ever got me a pet," Lianjie laughs, taking the tank to the coffee table. Inside, sure enough, is the tiny turtle from yesterday. It didn't seem to mind the trip, it's sitting in its shell with only its head out...Watching Lianjie, Takato and I.

"Th-Thank you, Takato...I _really_ wasn't expecting this," I say.

"W-Well, I just...thought my best friend could use a turtle," Takato replies, a little nervously and glancing to Lianjie. Yeah, this...is looking _really_ suspicious. I don't have a birthday coming up for a few months and there's no gift-exchanging holiday coming up...As far as Lianjie knows (and I hope it _stays_ that way), Takato just woke up and said 'I'm going to buy Jen a turtle!' ...Not that I don't appreciate the gift, I-I mean...Wow! I-I don't know what to say to thank him...

...And all I got him was a DS game...

Takato takes the turtle out of the tank, gently passing him to me. "Get to know him while I set up the tank for you, okay? Think of a good name."

I nod. "Th-Thanks again..." I sit down on the couch with the turtle in my hand. It's small enough to sit in one hand _easily._ I really like that about him. He's really cute. The turtle looks at me and...I think it's yawning or something, it opens its mouth, then closes it.

Takato and Lianjie set up the tank. Lianjie looks _really_ excited about the turtle...He keeps saying the word "awesome" to himself and laughing.

"Lianjie, you like turtles?" I ask as Lianjie pours rabbit pellets into the tank.

"I was a Ninja Turtles fan as a kid, remember?" Lianjie asks. "I loved that show! Always wanted a turtle but Mom and Dad always said 'no, you'd kill it.' Can I play with him now and then? _Please?_"

I nod. "Just be careful, he's the smallest from the store. Th-This really is...the same one, Takato?"

Takato nods. "I went back about an hour later to pick him up. He was still in that corner, except he was eating."

"Jianliang picked it out?" Lianjie asks.

"Sort of, I asked Jen-kun to go with me to buy something for Tama-kun and asked what he thought of the turtles they had on display. He liked the smallest and most 'smart-looking' one," Takato laughs.

"_Smart_-looking? Yeah, figures, my brother picks the nerd-turtle. But, then again, Donatello was my favorite Ninja Turtle, so...Awesome choice, Jianliang!" Lianjie chuckles. "Thanks a _ton_, Takato. I know it's Jianliang's turtle, but..."

"You can play with him, just make sure Xiaochun doesn't give him the 'Terriermon treatment,'" I say. I can't imagine her dressing the turtle up like she did Terriermon, but... ...She's Xiaochun.

"No problem. Thought of a name?"

"Hm..." I look at the turtle, it...sort of looks back, like it's studying me, too. "...Xiao Qinggui!"

"...Dude, _come on!_" Lianjie rolls his eyes.

"What?" Takato asks.

"The name means 'Little Green Turtle,'" Lianjie shakes his head. "Seriously, Jianliang?"

"Would you rather I do what Hirokazu did and name him 'Paperweight?'" I ask.

"...Xiao Qinggui it is!" Lianjie laughs.

"Um...Let me try... Shiaow...Chiin..." Takato has a little trouble pronouncing the name.

"In Japanese, it'd be, uh...Shouseigame," Lianjie says.

"Shouseigame... Thanks, Rinchei-san," Takato says. Yeah, the others...have a little trouble pronouncing the Chinese version of mine and my familys' names.

"_Ni hao_, Shousei-chan," I chuckle, petting the turtle under the chin. He really seems to enjoy that.

When Takato and Lianjie finish setting up the tank on the coffee table, I put Xiao Qinggui into the tank. He goes over to the chopped up lettuce and fruit, eating. Takato even included a can of that vitamin powder for us.

"Thanks again, Takato," I say. "I-I had..._no_ idea you were letting me pick out a pet yesterday."

"Surprise," Takato laughs. "I'm glad you like him. Hirokazu wasn't exactly, um, excited to see his turtle."

"Yeah, but he's Hirokazu," I laugh. Hirokazu thinks Kenta and Takato are _insane_ with this whole turtle thing...And now me, too, I guess.

Lianjie is sitting on the floor, watching Xiao Qinggui eat. "...Awesome. Thanks again, Takato. You're welcome here anytime, now, O Bringer of Turtles. Hehehe...This little guy's so cute. _Ni Hao, Xiao! Ni shi Wo de xin gui peng!"_

After a few minutes, I grab my gift for Takato and hide it in my coat, making sure Lianjie doesn't see it. If he did, _then_ he'd have at least a suspicion of the occasion _and _why we're going out to lunch.

We leave the apartment, leaving Lianjie with Xiao Qinggui. He's watching television with the turtle in his hand, petting its shell... ...I never knew Lianjie wanted a turtle.

When we're safely away from the apartment, Takato speaks, "Sorry I almost let things slip in front of Rinchei."

"It's okay," I say. "I didn't think he'd stay home today and...He's Lianjie, he won't suspect anything." I clear my throat. "Um...I also got you an anniversary gift, but...Compared to yours..." I trail off.

"Jen-chan..." Takato stops, he gives me a hug. "I _really_ wanted to give you that turtle, don't act like that."

"S-Sorry, it's just...Well..." I reach into my coat pocket and pass Takato the wrapped gift. "Happy...anniversary."

"Thanks, Jen-chan," Takato smiles, opening the gift. "The new Digimon World? I-I really wanted this, Jen! Thank you!" He wraps his arms around me, smiling.

"I-I just...don't think it's much compared to...Well...Thank you _so_ much for Xiao Qinggui!"

Takato lets go of me, smiling. "When we bring one of them over to play, we can play against each other in Digimon World. The turtles have a play date, we have a 'play' date," he says with a laugh. He really does like the gift, that makes me feel better.

Takato puts the game in his pocket and we continue off to our first month's anniversary lunch...

* * *

Takato and I spent some extra time after lunch in the park, mostly in our private spot (under a tree in a secluded part of the park). We _mostly_ talked about...Well, everything in the past month and how happy we are together. And turtles. We _had_ to talk about turtles. I'm really excited about having Xiao Qinggui, I want him to meet Jin and Paperweight. Takato told me he and Tama-kun got along really well while Takato had him for a night.

We decided to schedule a play date for "all members of the turtle club" with Hirokazu and Kenta soon. We even called Hirokazu while at the park. Hirokazu thought it was hysterical how Takato got me to pick out my turtle. And he joked about how his turtle was the biggest in the group, mine was the smallest...

...Which doesn't bother me at all. I like Xiao _because_ he's so small!

Takato and I went our separate ways around sunset. When I get back to my apartment, I see everyone's home... ...And waiting for me in the living room around the turtle tank.

...This...can't be good...

"...Um...Hi, everyone..." I say, slipping off my shoes. My parents' eyes are on me, while my siblings' eyes were on me for about a moment before they're back on Xiao Qingui. Lianjie has Xiao Qinggui in his hands, grinning. Jialing is petting him with a smile. Xiaochun is between both of them with one of her stuffed turtles. Our parents are sitting at the couch, behind the tank.

"Welcome home, Jianliang," Dad says with a light smile.

"...Something...wrong...?" Thankfully, their expressions say 'we're amused' not 'Why _the hell_ did Takato Matsuda buy you a _turtle?_'

"Um, sorry, bro," Lianjie says. "This is kinda my fault. It started as a joke and well, everyone started talking about it and... ...It kinda makes sense,_ especially_ now. Not that anyone's got a problem with it." ...I-I...don't like what Lianjie's hinting at...

"Wh-What makes...sense...?" I ask, stepping into the living room. I sit on the chair near the coffee table.

"Well, Jianliang...Takato buying you a turtle is quite a gift," Dad says. "Not that we have a problem with it or the possible reason _behind_ the gift. I was, however, a little shocked to come home and see Lianjie playing video games with a turtle on the floor next to him."

"Hey, Xiao knows a good game like Dynasty Warriors when he sees it," Lianjie says...Lianjie played video games _with the turtle?_ Takato might watch TV with Tama-kun, but...Lianjie _please_ don't tell me it was versus mode...

"S-So, um...Wh-What are you...getting at...?" I ask.

Mom smiles. "Relax, Jianliang, we aren't mad." ...Please, no...

I-I know they're saying they're not upset, but...I did _not_ want them to know this soon.

"Relax, bro, it's...cool. It really is," Lianjie says, smiling. "We don't have a problem at all! I think it's awesome!" ...Awesome? That's...not the reaction I would have expected from Lianjie. At all.

"Yeah, when I got home and saw Lianjie with the turtle and he told me _Takato_ gave him to you," Jialing begins. "I asked what the occasion was and his exact words were, 'I dunno, Takato just loves Jianliang that much or something! Who cares? TURTLE!'" ...I have just been outted by a turtle... Now I know how Takato felt.

"For the record, I was joking when I said it," Lianjie says. "But, um...Well...Jialing joked back and then we realized, well..."

"...You two have been _really_ close lately," Jialing says. "You always have been, but lately you two have been seeing each other almost daily. And at night...Dinner and movie, right?" She grins. "C'mon! Tell us!"

Xiaochun speaks up, "I knew it! You and Takato _are_ in love! Right, Jianliang? Ever since you met, you're _always_ really happy when you see Takato! It's gotta be love!" I-It is...love, Xiaochun, but...

...I-I can't believe this is happening! I'm shaking and sweating profusely, I-I can't stop! Th-They figured it out...They _know_...I-I can't believe this...

"...Just...going by the look on your face, I don't think I need to ask if you and Takato really are together," Dad chuckles. "Jianliang, it's okay. We're happy for you."

"Takato _really_ loves you, obviously," Jialing speaks up. "Tell him he got you a _great_ gift...This little guy's so cute!"

I just stammer, I feel the blush on my face and...I just know, there is _no way_ to deny this, I-I can't... ...They know... "...Sorry..." I whisper.

"Dude, do _not_ apologize," Lianjie says, giving me a serious look. "Seriously, don't. I know how much Takato likes you, and not from this little guy, just...'Cause I know how long you two have been friends. So, dude, it's awesome you're with someone you really like and who likes you back just as much!" ...Wow... Th-Thank you, Lianjie...

"Lianjie's right, Jianliang, it's okay. Like we've been saying, we're not upset. This isn't an issue for us, as long as you're happy," Dad says. "And, well, I think it's obvious Takato loves you _very _much...Turtle set ups certainly aren't cheap."

"It's...really okay...?" I ask, glancing away with a blush. This is...at the very least _really_ embarrassing.

"Of course," Mom says. "We're happy if you're happy. One question, though..." She trails off.

"Wh-What is it...?" _Please_ nothing embarrassing. _Please_.

"Can we keep the turtle in the living room? I think it'd get more attention here than in your room." ..._Seriously?_ Y-You find out I'm gay and dating Takato and your first concern is _where the new pet turtle stays?_

...Actually, I should be really relieved by that being the 'one question.' "Oh, um...S-Sure. Xiao can...stay in here," I nod.

My family's attention turns to the little turtle in Lianjie's hands. I shouldn't be so surprised they figured it out from the fact Takato gave me a pet, but... ...Well, I wonder if things would be different if Lianjie _didn't_ make a gay joke at the time.

But they support us, at least. And it is a little obvious how much Takato cares about me if he went as far as buying a pet. I'm not mad at him at all for being outted by his gift. I know he didn't think it would happen...

...I wonder if this might have happened to Hirokazu and Kenta, though. Then again, those two were insanely close _before_ they were an item, so it might not be all that surprising to their families.

"I wanna hold him next!" Xiaochun shouts.

"Calm down, calm down...Just be _careful _with him!" Lianjie says.

"I hold him after Xiaochun," I hear my_ Dad_ say...

...I'm glad Xiao Qinggui was adopted into an obviously loving family. I just pray he doesn't get the Terriermon Treatment from Xiaochun...

* * *

Dinner was a little on the awkward side for me, but it wasn't too bad. I wanted to ignore the whole "out" thing, but Jialing and Xiaochun wanted details on how things have been going with Takato...My Mom did, too. ...And _Lianjie!_ I-I really can't believe how...open to this Lianjie is. I really thought he'd cringe or something...Instead, I think he supports Takato and I as much as Jialing and Xiaochun. ...Xiaochun apparently suspected that I was in love with Takato for _years,_ she says.

For dessert we had green tea ice cream to celebrate the "little green addition to the family," Lianjie's idea.

I'm doing some homework in my room while Xiao sits on my desk. He's...a paperweight, actually. I have him on a paper napkin ("just in case," turtles aren't exactly house trained - Takato found out the hard way with Tama-kun and a new shirt) sitting on top of my finished homework. He just sits there and watches me. Now and then he'll shift around, but I think it's only to get a better view of what I'm doing...

...My turtle studies people. I like that a lot. And he seems to like me and my family.

There's a knock at my door. "Come in," I say.

Lianjie steps into the room, closing the door. "Um, hey, Jianliang...I sort of wanted to apologize about...well, everyone finding out. And, for the record, I'm completely cool with you and Takato! I'm happy for both of you since it's obvious you both love each other a lot." He glances over to Xiao Qingui, then back to me. "But with what I told Jialing and all I _really_ said it as a joke at first and Jialing sort of...made the connection, and... ...I'm really sorry."

I shake my head, turning to Lianjie. "It's okay, everyone would have found out sooner or later and, well, at least no-one was upset. I don't mind everyone knowing now because of that." Really, I don't blame Lianjie or anyone else for this. Though, I know Takato _will_ blame himself and give himself a huge guilt trip. I'll need to figure out good way to tell him.

"Even if someone _would_ have been upset, Xiao over there sorta distracted everyone. Seriously, Mom came into the room _just_ as Jialing says, 'I really think Jianliang and Takato could be gay.' Mom comes over saying, 'Wait, you think Jianliang is _gay-_Awww! _Lookitdaturtle!_'" Lianjie says with a 'aw, it's so cute' look on his face. "And then we talked about the turtle for about ten minutes before the subject of you and Takato came up again. Same thing happened with Dad."

I laugh, "Good to know Xiao Qinggui helped calm everyone down..."

"Xiaochun got hyped up more than calmed down," Lianjie laughs. "She wanted to play with him _as soon _as she saw him. Don't worry, I made sure your turtle was safe." He goes over to my desk and strokes Xiao's shell. "Seriously, tell Takato he's awesome!"

"I will," I nod. "You wanna take Xiao and watch television?"

Lianjie gives a quick nod. "Thought you'd _never ask!_" He gently picks up Xiao and the napkin, saying, "C'mon, I got a Ninja Turtles DVD set you've _gotta_ see! See you later, Jianliang."

I nod with a laugh, Lianjie leaves with Xiao in his hands. ...I can't believe my brother is going to watch his old Ninja Turtles DVDs with him. ...Actually, no, I _can_ believe it given how he already played Dynasty Warriors with him, apparently.

I start to go back to my homework when my cell phone goes off. I check the ID, it's Kenta. "Kenta-kun?"

"Hey, did you see Takato for your first month anniversary?" Kenta asks. I guess he hasn't talked to Hirokazu yet.

"He got me a turtle, I _still_ can't believe it," I say. Really, I'm waiting for Ruki, Ryou and Juri to call up and tell us they've been blessed with a shelled reptile of love as well. Or call the local asylum to commit us for our newfound roles as 'Turtle Tamers.'

Kenta laughs, "He asked if I'd mind if he borrowed my idea. I told him to go for it. You _have_ to bring your turtle over to meet Jin-chan and Paperweight. What did you name him?"

"Xiao Qinggui, or Shouseigame in Japanese," I say.

"Aw, sounds cute. And Takato really tricked you into picking him out?"

"I didn't know he had it in him," I laugh. "My family loves him...The turtle _and_ Takato, actually. They sort of, um..."

"...Jen...?" Kenta sounds a little worried.

"Lianjie made a joke that Takato was in love with me and that's why he got me the turtle. Well, it went from 'joke' to 'Lianjie might be onto something' with Jialing."

"Oh, _crap_, I am _so_ sorry, Jen..."

"It's okay, my family took it...Amazingly well! They're happy for Takato and I. I couldn't believe how...easy it all was! And Lianjie's in the other room watching DVDs with Xiao right now, they all really like him."

"...Your brother is watching TV with Shousei-chan?"

"Ninja Turtles DVDs to be exact," I say. And to think Lianjie was _making fun_ of Takato for asking Kenta to put the phone to Tama-kun's ear while he was on vacation... Hirokazu told him about when he visited after Takato got back.

"...Wow...Hiro-chan's _gotta_ hear that, he'll get a laugh or, maybe, realize _he's_ the crazy one!" Kenta laughs. "Sorry you were outted, though."

"It's okay, really. I'm getting used to them knowing and _no-one_ was upset at all. Just don't tell anyone, _especially_ Takato. I know he's going to blame himself, even though I don't."

"All right, but... I'd be a nervous wreck if it was me, Jen. I'm _really _glad it worked out for you. Give your family a hug for me, two for Shousei-chan."

"I will. See you later, Kenta-kun. We'll set up a play date for the turtles soon."

"Thanks, Jen! Jin-chan's gonna love making a new friend! Talk to you later!"

"Bye," I hang up.

Now that I think about it...Being "out" isn't so bad. Everyone's happy for me, I'm not being treated any different...I guess I was just worried, mostly, about the negative "what if" scenarios. And the fact Lianjie is more than okay with it helps a lot. I didn't think he'd be mad or anything, but...Maybe a little grossed out or something...

...Instead, he's _glad_ I'm with Takato and...He has no problem talking about it or anything. I'm really glad for that.

Thank you for the gift, Takato-chan...It was an amazing gift in more ways than you could have planned, trust me.

* * *

Ori's Notes:  
Eh, not sure if this was one of the better chapters. I wanted to throw in Jen getting a turtle and his faimily figuring things out from it. And they might not be the only ones...

Regarding the turtle's name: Xiao Qinggui does mean "Little Green Turtle," (though "Qing" means both "blue" and "green") the "Xiao" is also the same symbol used in "Xiaochun," which means "Little Spring." Also, the "Qing" is pronounced as "_Ch_ing," not "_K_ing."

Also, what Lianjie says to Xiao: _Ni shi Wo de xin gui peng _means "you're my new turtle friend!"

The next chapter is the main reason I wrote this. Hope you like it!

* * *

Taiki's Notes:

Ha ha ha, I loved Lianjie's description of his mother's reaction to Jen and Takato being a couple: "Aww! Lookitdaturtle!"

I wonder if Takato's parents might have any suspicions. Or at least wonder, as Jen put it, why their son woke up one morning and said "I'm going to buy Jen a turtle!"

Honestly, this fic is tempting me to go out and buy a pet turtle.

-Taiki Matsuki


	4. Hirokazu and Paperweight: Courage

Kokoro No Kikkou  
Hirokazu and Paperweight: Courage

* * *

My friends are..._insane!_ Well, okay, maybe not insane but...Weird. Weird works. Weird works very, very, _VERY_ well to describe them.

It all started when Takato got a pet turtle from his parents. A pet turtle that he's been obsessed with ever since. I get that it's his first real pet and all but he treats it like the greatest thing since Guilmon! Dude, it's _a turtle!_

And then Kenta bought a turtle for each of us...A first month's anniversary type thing. I felt really bad I didn't keep track like he did. Not only can't I believe I've been with Kenta a month, I can't believe I've been with Kenta _period!_ I did _not_ want to admit that I liked him, but... ...After what happened, I was hoping it'd make him happy if he knew how I felt...

...Takato's gay, like, totally Jen-obsessed GAY! I found that out through his journal. I couldn't believe it when I read the first official "Takato's Gay for Jen" page. ...And then another and another and another and another and another and another...You get the idea. It was like...Y'know those sitcoms where they show the teenage daughter on her bed, writing in her journal about the dreamy captain of the soccer team and all that?

After what I read, I can _totally_ picture Takato doing that. Except that along with the "dreamy Chinese boy" stuff he throws in "The cute thing my pet turtle did today." ...Really, he...He actually makes notes of cute things Tama-kun does! I-I can't believe this...

Not that I don't like Paperweight. He's kinda cool, except he embarrassed the hell out of me in the first five minutes I had him. I should have known better than to just pull out whatever magazine he was sitting on if it was _under my bed_, though. He's really active, too, I think that's cool. He doesn't like being in a tank that much, he tries to break out of it _a lot_. As soon as I get home, he's banging his shell on the side like he's screaming "Lemme out! Lemme out!" I let him out and he does laps around my table as I do my\copy Kenta's homework.

And since Paperweight likes roaming around so much, Kenta thought it'd be a good idea to take Paperweight and Jin to the park. Kenta and I are sitting on a bench while Paperweight roams around the grass with Jin across the sidewalk from our bench. We're watching them, but it's not like they can outrun us if they tried to escape...

...Though Paperweight _did_ get to my bed pretty damn fast.

"So, how's the baby at home?" Kenta asks. He _still_ calls the turtles our 'babies.'

"Very funny," I roll my eyes. "He's good, he makes a _crapload_ of noise, though." I thought Tama-kun could be loud with digging and all that, Paperweight is even worse! And he turned his entire tank inside out one night, the litter was all over _everything!_ Even managed to fling some out onto the floor outside of the tank! But he dug himself a hole...He likes his hole. "What about Jen's 'baby?'" ...Even sarcastically, I can't believe I called it that...

"His whole family loves it, they named it Shouseigame," Kenta says.

"I like how Takato tricked Jen into picking out his turtle," I chuckle. I didn't know Matsuda could be sneaky like that. Hehehe!

Kenta nods. "Rinchei's been watching television with him, his old Ninja Turtles DVDs."

"...Great, you're all insane!" I roll my eyes, glancing to Paperweight and Jin. Paperweight is doing laps in a circle around Jin while Jin just rests in the grass...Paperweight's kinda weird with his obsession with doing laps. I once counted, he did more than_ thirty_ around my table before he took a break!

Kenta laughs, "You _never_ got excited over a pet before?"

I shake my head. "And don't make the Guardromon comparison again. Digimon are _not_ pets!"

"I won't, I won't," Kenta shakes his head. He looks to me, "What abou-"

"SHIT!" I scream, bolting up. Kenta looks ahead at the turtles in horror.

A _cat_ just came out of some nearby bushes and just jumped on top of Jin!

"JIN-CHAN!" Kenta and I hurry to the turtles.

I hear a hissing sound. "What the hell is-_PAPERWEIGHT?"_ I look forward in shock as _Paperweight_ is _hissing_ at the cat, his mouth wide open. He's _charging at it!_

The cat ignores Paperweight and focuses on Jin, Paperweight circles around until he's behind the cat. Paperweight bites down on its tail. _HARD!_ The cat lets out this loud screech and takes off, just as Kenta goes to pick up Jin. I get Paperweight, pulling a ball of fur out of his mouth. I actually had to chase him a little, I think he was trying to keep going after the cat!

I sit next to Kenta with Paperweight in my lap.

Kenta's cradling Jin in his arms. "Jin-chan! Jin-chan! Please be okay, Jin! The cat's gone, it's okay! It's okay! You're safe now! Come on! Come out of your shell! _PLEASE!_" He says, he looks close to crying. _Please_ let that turtle be okay...

After about a minute of Kenta holding him, Jin pokes his head out of his shell. We both check to see if he's hurt...

...He's fine, not even a scratch on his shell. He must have ducked in there as soon as the cat jumped on him.

Kenta holds Jin close, saying, "Thank the Gods...I was _so_ worried about you, Jin."

"...Kenta..."

"Hiro-chan, _please_, I don't want to hear how crazy-"

"Paperweight was _AWESOME_ back there!" I shout. Seriously! My turtle took down a cat! He saved Jin's life without even thinking about it! Kenta gives me a surprised look as I hold Paperweight up, looking him in the eye. "Good turtle! You're a badass! You deserve a treat!" I look to Kenta. "What do turtles eat for treats?"

"Um... ...Fruit...?" Kenta shrugs. "Tama-kun likes strawberries and mangos."

...Fruit? ...Crap...

Wait! I got just the thing!

I set Paperweight between us. "Wait here, Paperweight. You deserve a treat!"

I reach into the backpack I have on the ground next to me, I pull out a packet of tissues and unfold one in front of Paperweight. Then I get his treat...

"...Hiro-chan, that's _not_ what I meant..."

I break up a strawberry pocky stick and put it on the tissue in front of Paperweight, saying, "Eat up! You deserve it!" Paperweight eats one piece, then another and then chows down. Hehehe! He likes pocky!

"...I can't believe that..." Kenta says.

I break up a few more pocky sticks for Paperweight, then pass another box from my backpack to Kenta. Green tea flavor. "Want one? I got like ten of 'em."

Kenta nods. "Thanks..." He sets Jin on the bench, Jin crawls over to Paperweight. Paperweight moves aside and shares his pocky.

"Aw, they're friends..." I say, grinning and petting Paperweight's shell. "Good hero turtle! Good!"

"Thanks for saving Jin-chan, Paperweight," Kenta smiles. "Seriously, I didn't know turtles could hiss...Or do any more against a cat than hide in their shells."

"Paperweight doesn't run away from a fight!" I say. This turtle is officially awesome!

Kenta laughs, "Thanks again, Paperweight." He pats Paperweight's shell, he keeps eating with Jin. I break up a couple more pocky sticks.

* * *

I wake up, hitting the 'off' button on my alarm clock with a yawn. I hear a metallic rattling sound...

I look over my bed, Paperweight is on the floor, pushing a hard candy tin. Ever since the other day, when he saved Jin, I realized how much he _hates_ being in a tank. He's a free roam turtle, now. He's _waaay_ too big for that little tank, anyway, I'd hate it if I were him!

I got a dish of water and some food in a corner of my room for him. He mostly does laps around my room or sleeps under my bed.

It's worked out so far, he's too big _not_ to notice so I don't trip over him and he likes the extra space _a lot._ He exercises a ton, too, he pushes heavy things he finds on my floor...

...My turtle is kinda cleaning my room, actually. He moves a lot of it under the bed but the floor is getting cleared, one thing at a time. Ha ha ha! Now I _really_ like this turtle!

Today's the day of the "play date" for all of our turtles at Takato's place. Takato said he's even setting up a "play pen" for them. Takato and Kenta are taking the whole "play date" idea seriously, I'm mostly going because I know how much it would mean to Kenta...

...I love Kenta. I really do. I was freaking out for the first year or so when I realized it. I was in _love_ with Kenta and that scared the crap out of me. I'm not really into the whole...liking other guys-thing.

I-It's just Kenta, though! ...And Ryou... ...But Ryou's just hot. Kenta's...Awesome! Kenta's a great friend, too! He's _always_ thinking of me (I _try_ to think of him just as much, but...Uh...) and he'll do anything for a friend. Like what he did for Jen and Takato. I-I _still_ can't believe he did that. I know it took _a lot_ for him to do what he did for them.

When I found out Takato was gay with him that night, I_ had_ to know if it would bug Kenta. I was _so_ happy to hear he wouldn't have a problem with it. I mean, that meant that if he ever found out things'd still be cool between us.

But the fact he was so quiet and _looked_ upset after we read the journal had me worried...

...Then I kinda put two and two together. Kenta was gay and liked Takato. I sorta suspected it for a while, that Kenta was gay, just from how he's not all that into checking out girls with me (I'm _bi,_ thank the Gods, so I had _no_ trouble hiding my thing for Kenta...). And, uh, he's just got this..."Thing" about him. You just get that feeling around him, _especially_ if romance comes up!

...Come to think of it, Takato sort of had the same vibe when it came to romance, too, he just did _not_ like talking about girls or dating...Not until Jen. Now "what I love about Jen" comes up _more_ than "Tama-kun is _so_ cute!" In fact, now it's more "Jen-chan is _so_ cute," too. Hehehe! He kinda is-Er... I mean...

...S-So, when I finally asked him if he was gay and he said yes... ...I was happy I wasn't alone and had a shot but...I wanted him to be with Takato, since he was who Kenta liked. I even told him a way he could let Takato know without letting him know he read his journal.

...But...

...He wanted Takato with Jen, who Takato was _obviously _in love with. I know he cried when he "went to the bathroom" after his talk with Jen. We both know and...Jen felt _so_ freakin' guilty. I mean, I almost had Jen crying on my shoulder...

...I told Jen I was bi before I told Kenta. I told him that to make him feel better...I-I was nervous as hell...

_"I...I can't believe this. I feel terrible, Hirokazu-kun. I want Takato, too, but... ...Is this right?"_

_"Jen, Takato...really wants to be with you and Kenta knows that. Like he said, he'd rather Takato was happy with you. He'll...get over it. Eventually."_

_"I-I know, but..."_

_"...Jen, um, look, if it...makes you feel better...I-I... ...I, um...Well, with Kenta...I..."_

_"...Hirokazu?"_ I was bright red and shaking. I-I _still_ can't believe I admitted to this! I-I was barely able to tell Kenta! If Jen wasn't so wracked with guilt, I'd have just told Kenta and kept it a secret between us!

_"...I...I sort of, um... ...I like girls, okay?"_

_"...I know that, Hiro-"_

_"I just like Kenta more!"_

_"...Wow...Y-You? I-I had_ no_ idea, Hirokazu-"_

_"Just...don't tell anyone, okay? Please, Jen? I'll talk to Kenta tonight...Maybe he'll feel better."_

_"Right...But, wait, you like Kenta? You told me you wanted to help him be with Takato..."_

_"Same reason he wants you to be with Takato...Unless you wanna trade him. You and me go out, Kenta and Takato go out."_

Jen laughed a little, shaking his head. _"N-No offense, Hirokazu, but..."_

_"Yeah, I know. I'm too good for ya, anyway."_

_"Ha ha ha!"_

When I checked on Kenta a little later, I just knocked on the door.

_"...Kenta? It's...been almost half an hour. You...okay? Breakfast that bad?"_

_"...I-I'll...be out soon...I-I'm fine. S-Sorry..."_

_"It's okay, um...Take your time. And...I'm really sorry, Kenta."_

_"I-I'm okay, really...Jen and Takato...They'll make a great couple."_

_"...Kenta..."_

_"R-Really, I'm just...not feeling well. Bad breakfast...L-Like you saaid... I-I'm...I'm fine...Hiro...kazu..." _He did his best to _not_ sound like he was crying again.

_"I'll...let you have some privacy...Hope you feel better, Kenta-kun."_

_"...Thank you..."_

Kenta came out a little while after that and we just talked about how Jen could tell Takato and came up with the "it's because of Tama-kun" thing. We know Takato'd be pissed if he found out I read his journal...

...But, seriously Takato, you should know me well enough to know I'd _never_ pass up on a journal! Ever! Hell, I thought he'd have taken it with him, I would have if I had anyone staying in my room for over a week!

...I'm also amazed I didn't find _any_ porn. I mean, Takato strikes me as someone with a hidden perverted side. _Really_ hidden, I guess.

Jen left a little after we came up with the "Tama-kun" plan. Kenta was just quiet for a long time. Now and then it was obvious he was trying not to cry again or trying to wipe his eyes without me knowing. I just let him have his space. Tama-kun was there to cheer him up, kinda. He had Tama-kun in his lap or on his stomach for a _long_ time.

After I thought Kenta looked a _little_ cheerier...I told him how I felt and he was happy again. We had our first kiss later that night and slept next to each other on the floor (Kenta didn't think Takato'd appreciate us sharing his bed, even if we _didn't_ do 'that!'). By the next morning, Kenta was his old self again...A good midnight make out session would lift _anyone's_ spirits! Hehehe!

...And one month later, he bought me Paperweight. ...I really did appreciate the gift, I like having a pet. I think he's trying to get me to understand _why_ Takato is so "happy" with his turtle. I just wish Kenta didn't refer to them as "the babies."

...And speaking of "my baby"...

Paperweight sees I'm awake and crawls over to my bed. I lift him up and put him on my stomach. I have to use both hands, this turtle is _huge!_ "Hey, Paperweight," I say with a chuckle. I rub his chin with one finger as he curls his legs into his shell. "Dream of fighting off evil cats last night?"

I am _so_ proud of him for what he did that day! That was seriously_ awesome!_

Paperweight fights in the name of justice! He is the shelled terror that crawls in the night, the green bane of evil cats! He is reptilian vengeance! He is the original Ninja Turtle! He is..._Paperweight!_

Kenta asked me if I was going to change his name after what he did. Hell. No. Paperweight likes his name! It gives evil a false sense of security! Who's afraid of a paperweight? No-one! But anyone with brains is afraid of _Paperweight!_

I start to wake up with Paperweight on my stomach. He likes getting attention from me. Ever since he became free roam, if he's not doing laps or exercising (my turtle likes to bulk up!), he's watching television with me.

Last night, Kenta came by while we were watching a Zatoichi film and joined us with Jin. Kenta couldn't get over the fact I was letting Paperweight eat popcorn in my lap while we watched. Extra butter, Paperweight likes butter on his popcorn. Paperweight likes Samurai flicks, too! He's got good taste in movies! I can tell 'cause he faces the TV, puts his legs in his shell and sticks out his head more than usual (unless he's grabbing popcorn, he_ really_ likes popcorn!), if he doesn't like what's on he'll turn to me and scratch my stomach like he's saying "change the damn channel!" Or he'll just start doing laps from one end of the couch to the other.

He also likes Xros Wars, but I think that has to do with the fact I started him on it with the ChibiKamemon episodes. Kame-kame!

After I'm finally awake, I put Paperweight back on the floor and get him some fresh food from the kitchen. My parents are eating breakfast.

"How's the turtle?" Dad asks.

"Fine, he likes being a free roam turtle."

"And you _do_ clean up after your 'free roam turtle,' right?" Mom asks. ...Oh, _crap!_ I forgot about that...

...Haven't seen anything yet, so...

"O-Of course I do!" I say, quickly. ...I should put out a thing of those rabbit pellets or something, maybe I can litter box train him.

"Uh-huh..." Mom rolls her eyes as I get some chopped up lettuce and fruit from the fridge. "With that junk food you feed him, I'm _sure_ you've had to clean up _a lot."_ ...I'll check under my bed later. I really haven't seen _any_ sign of _that!_

"If he likes it, he should eat it," I say as I make a plate for Paperweight.

"And why exactly _did_ Kenta buy you that thing?" Dad asks.

"He thought I could use another friend," I shrug. "What? You don't like Paperweight?"

"No, it's not that...I'm just curious," Dad shrugs. "It's good you're taking care of him. He's lived this long, I take it as a good sign for your ability to raise a child one day."

"Uh...Yeah... One day..." I roll my eyes and shake my head, starting to my room.

"You and Kenta plan to adopt, right?" Dad asks with a chuckle.

I freeze in my tracks. "...What did you say...?" I turn, my parents are both laughing. I let out a nervous chuckle...It was a joke! Thank the Gods!

"S-Sorry, son, I just overheard Kenta call them your 'babies' the other day. Kenta takes his pet ownership seriously, I take it," Dad says.

"Y-Yeah, you know Kenta..." Note to self: Train Paperweight the word 'baby' as a 'bite me, HARD' command for the next time Kenta comes over... That was _too_ close!

"But tell him we said 'hi' when you go to Takato's today with Paperweight," Dad says.

"Right, I will."

"...And you two have our blessing. Congratulations, Hirokazu."

Again, I freeze, looking to my parents...They aren't laughing this time. I decide to start things. "Ha ha ha...Another good one! ...Ha ha ha..." They...give me this 'we know' sort of grin. I sigh and hang my head. "...How long?"

Dad shrugs. "About a year. We were wondering if you'd _ever_ tell us, especially after Paperweight, so..." ...A _year?_

"...Dad, Kenta and I...It's only...been official for a month. Paperweight...was a one month...anniversary...gift." I feel my face turning red again as I shake a little. I try to keep my hands steady so Paperweight's breakfast doesn't fly all over the place. I _hate_ talking about this! _Especially_ to _my parents!_

My parents exchange shocked looks. "...Seriously?" They both say. Holy _crap,_ they've...They really thought I was with Kenta _for a year?_ I-I...I...Am I..._Obvious_ or something?

I nod, quickly turning to hide the shade of red I know my whole face is by now. "...Thanks for the support..." I hurry back to my room, groaning. Paperweight is sitting in the middle of the room. I put his breakfast in front of him and he starts eating. "...They knew, Paperweight. They knew _before I knew_."

Paperweight looks up to me, almost like he understands what I'm saying...

...I'm starting to think turtles are smarter than I once thought they were. A _lot_ smarter.

"...At least they didn't care," I sigh, sitting on the floor near Paperweight, petting his shell. He goes back to eating. "We'll head over to Takato's soon, 'kay? He says he'll have a huge plate of fruit out for you...And I'll bring some pocky for you, too!" Takato called me 'insane' for asking him to set out pocky for the turtles yesterday...

...Takato, you wanna talk to _your_ turtle over the phone! I am _not_ insane! Paperweight's just awesome! And if Paperweight likes pocky then Paperweight should eat all the pocky he damn well pleases! Why?

'Cause he's _Paperweight!_

* * *

Ori's Notes:  
And we have Hirokazu and Paperweight! Yeah, I wanted to have some fun with Hirokazu learning to love his turtle...And being weirder than Takato is about Tama-kun without realizing it.

And, for the record, a turtle _can_ hiss (sorta, I'd call it a hiss, but...I dunno, it's a vaguely threatening sound!) and fend off a cat. I based the scene on a video from youtube I once saw of a cat sneaking up to a turtle. The turtle turns around, hisses, snaps at the cat and _chases it around a garden! _And, don't worry, neither the cat or the turtle were harmed in the video. I do not condone violence against turtles (or cats).

With Hirokazu's parents...Since Jen was found out, I figure the other parents might have figured things out the same way...Except Hirokazu's parents were _slightly_ off, but do you expect anything less from the parents of one half of The Ambiguously Gay Tamers?

* * *

Taiki's Notes:

Aw, Hirokazu _does_ love his turtle! And has somehow figured out Paperweight's taste in television programming. And he said _Takato_ was insane!

I was so worried about Jin, though! Poor turtle! I'm so glad Paperweight was there to save him, just like Hirokazu would save Kenta. Like Owner, like Turtle. Ha!

Though Hirokazu made Paperweight a _free-range turtle?_ Can one do that? Well, actually, I've heard about letting iguanas and monitor lizards roam free like cats so I imagine a turtle would be _much_ less of a hassle in that regard. I just hope Hirokazu actually remembers to pick up after him.

-Taiki Matsuki


	5. Minna No Kametachi

Kokoro No Kikkou  
Minna No Kametachi

* * *

Hirokazu and Kenta just got here with Paperweight and Jin. Kenta brought Jin in a little plastic travel tank. Hirokazu _carried_ Paperweight from his apartment all the way over here. Why? Because "Paperweight hates being in a tank, he's _free_ turtle!" And you said _I_ had a problem, Hirokazu-kun...

...Actually, I'm amazed he didn't put a leash on him and walk him here. I'm watching Paperweight do laps in the turtle pen I set up in my room. He's _really_ fast! Tama-kun is eating in the center with Jin, I had to put out extra strawberries because he ate most of them before Jen and Shousei-chan got here. He actually picked them out of the fruit mixture! He's really smart, I think...

The turtle pen is just a bunch of folded up boxes closing off a part of my room with newspaper on the floor. The turtles are all doing their own thing, eating or playing with each other. They all get along, too, though Shouseigame is sorta shy around the others. It took him a while to come out of his shell (literally) when he first met Tama-kun, even though Tama-kun wanted to play.

The rest of us are sitting at my table, drinking soda and eating snacks. Hirokazu was in charge of snacks, he brought a ton of junk food, especially pocky...

...And, yes, he's already setting out a plate of broken up strawberry and mixed berry pocky for Paperweight and the others. I-I can't believe he lets Paperweight _eat_ that stuff. Again, you said_ I_ had a problem, Hirokazu-kun? You have a _free roam_ turtle in your room! Though, if Paperweight's tank is the same size as Tama-kun's or even a little bigger, that's probably a good thing for Paperweight.

"Hirokazu-kun, why the sudden change of heart? A few days ago, you thought we were all insane..." I trail off.

"Kenta, you didn't tell him?" Hirokazu asks, looking to Kenta.

"I guess not," Kenta shakes his head. "We took Paperweight and Jin to the park the other day. A cat jumped ontop of Jin. Paperweight saved his life and Hirokazu's been _super_ proud of him ever since."

Jen and I both exchange shocked looks. "A _cat?_" I ask. "What did he do? And was Jin okay?"

"Bit its tail off!" Hirokazu grins.

"Not _off_, just bit its tail," Kenta rolls his eyes, giving us a 'Hirokazu's basing this on a true story' sort of look. "Jin was okay, he hid in his shell. It just scared him...Paperweight was a hero, though."

"Paperweight is a certified badass," Hirokazu grins.

"Hirokazu's Herokame," Jen jokes. We all laugh.

"Speaking of Paperweight..." Hirokazu looks to Kenta. "My parents _know_. I found out this morning."

"Wh-What?" Kenta asks. ...Th-they..._know?_ As in...?

"My parents know we're together...At first I _thought_ it was because you called the turtles 'our babies' and they heard it, but _that_ just told them we'd be adopting someday," Hirokazu lets out a groan, Kenta's face is almost colorless. "...Don't worry, Kenta-chan. They're happy...And thought we've been together _for a damned year!"_

There's a long silence.

...Jen and I finally break it by laughing, Kenta joins in. "A-A _YEAR?_ Th-They thought you two...?" I can't stop laughing. R-Ruki and Ryou _love_ to joke about Hirokazu and Kenta, but...Hirokazu's own parents, too? Ha ha ha!

"A-At least...They support us," Kenta laughs. "Th-They weren't joking about that?"

"They asked again before I left, they didn't believe me when I said it'd only been a little over a month. _Seriously!_"

"W-Wow..." Jen laughs. "A-Actually...Um..." Jen looks to me. "Okay, Takato, _don't_ get upset or blame yourself, okay?" ...Wh-What?

"Jen-chan...?"

"My family, after you dropped off Xiao Qinggui, sort of...Guessed." Oh, no...I am _so_ sorry, Jen! I had no idea they'd guess because of...

...Well, I-I guess it is...sort of weird I'd randomly decide to give Jen a pet. ...And turtles aren't exactly cheap with a full set up like what I got Jen...It's obvious I _really_ like Jen if I got him something like that...

"I-I had...no idea they'd-"

"Don't be upset, _really_, Takato! They support us and...Even _Lianjie_ was happy for us, I thought he'd be grossed out. Instead...Everyone was more excited about the turtle." He laughs. "R-Really, Lianjie said _every time_ someone asked about us, the topic was derailed by the little turtle Lianjie was playing with. They all love Xiao Qinggui."

"R-Really?"

"Really. It's okay, Takato-chan...I wasn't even all that upset when they asked me. Just nervous." Jen gives me a hug. "Really, my family _completely_ supports us...Especially Xiaochun, she says she knew we liked each other _before _we were together.." That sounds like Shiuchon.

I hug back. "Thanks, Jen-cha-"

"Hiro-Mmph!" What the...?

Jen-chan and I turn, Hirokazu has Kenta by the shoulders, he's kissing him on the lips. He breaks the kiss after a few moments and turns to us, saying, "We felt left out of the lovefest."

"H-Hiro-chan...I will _never_ complain if you do that again..." Kenta says, catching his breath. "Though, um...Takato, with this whole 'outted by a turtle' thing..."

I nod. "Yeah?"

"...You think your parents and my parents might suspect something...? We _gave_ our boyfriends turtles," Kenta says. ...Oh, _crap!_ I-I didn't think of that...

When I came home with Shousei-chan, my Dad asked why I bought another turtle. I told him he was for Jen and...My Dad gave me a confused look for a moment, then shrugged. My Mom thought the turtle was cute. They didn't really say anything, but...

...I-I wonder...Could they suspect...? "I-I don't know," I shake my head. "I'm a little worried about the possibility, now..."

"If they've suspected it, it's been a while so maybe they don't mind," Kenta shrugs. "My parents...I might as well just ask them tonight. You?"

I shake my head. "Um...I-I don't know..." ...If Jen's out, I should be. It's only fair, but...I _really_ have no idea how my parents would take the news.

"Hey, look, Paperweight's got a fan," Hirokazu speaks up. Our attention turns back to the turtles.

Shouseigame is following closely behind Paperweight as he does laps.

"Aww," Kenta laughs. "Shousei-chan's usually shy, isn't he?"

Jen nods. "Yeah, I guess he really likes Paperweight."

"What's _not_ to like about Paperweight?" Hirokazu crosses his arms. "It's only right he has fans!"

I stand up. "Um, I'm going to grab some more ramune," I say. "Keep an eye on the turtles for me."

"Okay..." Jen nods.

I go to the door and out into the hall. My parents have the bakery closed today, part of why we set up the "play date" today. Everyone still had to come in through the back, though. My parents like Tama-kun but...Reptiles and health codes don't mix too well. He's not allowed anywhere _near_ the kitchen and I have to wash my hands twice as long as before. I don't mind, as long as I have Tama-kun.

My parents are downstairs in the kitchen, making themselves lunch. "Um...Hi."

"Hands." Mom says as soon as I come into the room. She's _really_ strict about that, she read up on what turtles _can_ carry...

...Tama-kun's clean, though! At least, I think he is.

"R-Right," I go to the sink and wash my hands, using a ton of the soap kept by the sink. "...So, um...Everyone's got a turtle..." I say. "Kenta got one for Hirokazu, too, and all..."

"We saw...That thing was _huge!_" Dad says. "Will Tama-kun get that big?"

"I don't know," I shrug. "But, um...I-I...Was wondering...You don't mind that I bought Jen a turtle, do you?" I dry my hands, looking to my parents. They briefly exchange looks. I can't tell exactly what expression they've got...Nothing suspicious, though.

"No. It's your money and he's your friend." Dad shakes his head. "And, well, Jen definitely liked the gift from what I hear."

I nod. "His whole family _really _likes Shouseigame," I say. "I was...just curious."

"Though, since you mention it," Dad begins, "why _did_ you decide to buy Jen a turtle? I mean, you were saving that money for a game or something, right?"

"Um, y-yeah, but...Je-Jen bought me that game, so..." I trail off, though I realize I shouldn't have said that. Actually, I really liked the fact Jen bought me that game for our anniversary, I was saving up to buy it and a few others, but I bought Shouseigame and his set up with the money instead...And Jen got me the game I wanted the most from that list, I was _really_ happy he did that!

"W-Wait, _Jen_ bought you a game? Why?" Mom asks. C-Crap!

"I-I don't know, he...just bought me a game I wanted. He's...r-really nice that way, you know?" ...I-I shouldn't have done this...

"Takato, why are you nervous...?" Mom looks up from checking on what she has in the oven.

I go to the refrigerator for the case of ramune sodas. "N-Nervous? I'm not...nervous..." That's an obvious lie. If they didn't suspect anything before, I'm sure they do _now..._

I glance to my parents, they're giving each other a... ..._really_ surprised look. I'm...guessing it's the 'our son might be gay' look.

Mom clears her throat, looking to me. "...Takato, are you and Jenrya...um...?"

Dad speaks up, "Exactly...How close are you and Jenrya...? I-I mean, um...Ta-Takato, please...Don't be afraid to...tell us _anything_, okay?"

I stare back at my parents, I feel myself starting to shake. I can think of only one thing to say...

"...Gotta go!" I start back out into the hall, _quickly_.

"Ta-Takato! Cou-Could you answer the question first?" My Dad shouts.

"Sorry, gotta get these upstairs before they're warm!" My face is bright red, I hurry back to my room and close the door a little hard. Everyone turns to me, I think I startled them with my entrance.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Hirokazu asks.

"...Um..." I glance away.

"...Takato, you did _not_ just come out, did you?" Kenta asks.

"Technically, no," I shake my head. "I-I was...just wondering if they suspected something. And now they want to know if Jen and I, um...They want to know how 'close' we are..."

Jen shakes his head. "Takato, you didn't have to do that... You did it because I'm out, right?"

"I thought it'd be only fair. They didn't seem angry and the fact they didn't follow me...I'm guessing that's a good sign," I shrug. "Did I miss anything?"

"Not really," Jen shakes his head. "Paperweight still has his fan."

I look to the pen, Paperweight is still doing laps and Shouseigame is following him. "I think he likes his 'fan club.' He slowed down a little."

"Just so Jen's turtle can actually keep up with him," Hirokazu chuckles.

I sit back down, we go back to talking like before...

...I shouldn't have done what I did. My parents definitely suspect (or, given my reaction, _know)_ now. But if Jen's out, I should be, too. And I don't think they'd be too upset...

This won't end too badly...I hope.

* * *

Jen stayed behind after Hirokazu and Kenta left with their "babies." Kenta still calls them that. Hirokazu, for some strange reason, held Paperweight to Kenta's nose while making a biting noise when Kenta said "babies." When Kenta asked what he was doing, Hirokazu said "Training."

Though, Hirokazu was _almost_ mad at Jen for something Shousei-chan did. He followed Paperweight around _a lot,_ for almost an hour. When Paperweight finally stopped his laps to eat, well...

...At first we thought Shouseigame was getting 'friendly' with Paperweight. Hirokazu _freaked out_ over the idea Jen's turtle was 'violating Paperweight,' though Kenta (because Shousei is the smallest turtle and Paperweight is, _by far_, the biggest) thought it was hilarious (Jen and I did, too, sort of). But, in the end, Shouseigame was _really_ just trying to climb on top of Paperweight. He sat on top of his shell as Paperweight ate for a little bit...

...And Paperweight gave him a ride around the pen for a few laps. We took pictures with our cell phones. We all thought it was really cute, Hirokazu ended up taking the most pictures. We also found out he has a picture of Paperweight as the background image for _both_ the front and inside screens of his cell phone, too...I have Tama-kun (outside) and Jen (inside).

Though the ride ended with Shousei-chan losing his balance, falling and ending up on his back. Jen-chan helped him back up and took him to our table to "recover." He was fine, of course.

Jen volunteered to stay with me to face my parents. He was a little upset that I tried to find out if they suspected anything and sort of came out but he also said he understood why I did it. I didn't want him to be the only one out, especially since it was my gift that outted him.

We wash our hands in the upstairs bathroom and go down to the dining room, I asked My Mom earlier if Jen could stay for dinner from the top of the stairs (I was afraid to face them alone)...The nervous "sure" from her was, um, "hopeful," I guess.

We go down to the dining room together when Mom calls us for dinner. It's nothing much, just beef cutlets, rice and soup. "W-We um, washed our hands already," I say, sitting down. "Tama-kun and Shouseigame are still in the pen." Jen sits next to me, my Dad is sitting across from us with a confused look on his face...Like he's trying to figure out if we really are together or not.

My Mom pours tea for My Dad, Jen and I before she sits down.

There's a long silence, we all just stare at our food. No-one makes a move to eat.

"...It's okay," I say, quietly. "You can...ask."

"I-I think the fact you said we can ask...Confirms it, right?" My Dad asks.

I nod. "Ye-Yeah, um...Since we got back from the trip. Jen noticed Tama-kun really liked him and...You know how pets sort of, um, pick up on their owner's feelings?"

"...Even _turtles?_" My Mom asks.

I shrug. "I guess. Sorry if this is...a problem."

"It's...a shock, that's all," My Dad says. "We talked about it and, even without the gifts, it's obvious you and Jenrya were very close before. And obviously care about each other a lot, we don't object to that as long as you're happy. So, don't worry. We're not mad."

"Thank you," I let out a relieved sigh.

My Mom smiles, looking to Jen. "Take good care of Takato, Jenrya."

"I-I will," Jen bows his head. "Th-Thank you for accepting us."

"Don't be formal, Jenrya. You're our guest," My Dad smiles. "I'm guessing all those times you've gone to 'hang out' with Jenrya for the past month were..."

"...Dates, yeah." I nod, blushing a little.

"Jenrya," My Dad looks to Jen, Jen straightens up in his chair. "Re-Relax, _really!_" He laughs. "There's a place I want you to take Takato, actually...I think you'd both like it." He's..._suggesting_ a restaurant?

"Oh? Where is it?"

"A place called The Sleeping Tortoise Tea House," My Dad begins.

Jen and I both turn to each other, then start laughing.

"What?"

"S-Sorry, but...That's where Jen took me for our first double date," I say, laughing. "It's a great place! Where did you hear about it?"

"Your Father took me there last week, we drove by it a few times and thought of you and Tama-kun each time... We thought you'd like the turtles they have in the middle of the restaurant in that giant tank." My Mom says.

"You said _double_ date?" My Dad gives me a shocked look. "Wow! With who...?"

"Oh, um, Hirokazu and Kenta..."

My Dad nods. "Oh, right, right...I should have known, they've been together so long..."

Jen and I, again, exchange looks. "How long have you known they were together...?" Jen asks, trying his hardest to control the grin on his face.

My Dad shrugs. "I don't know, almost a year, maybe..."

Jen and I both lose control. My parents just give us a confused stare.

"...What's so funny...?"

* * *

It's been a week since the "play date." My parents really have no problem with Jen-chan and I as a couple. We even had dinner with the Lis a few days ago, I brought Tama-kun with me. Mr. Li was the one who requested that, actually. Tama-kun and Shousei-chan played with Shiuchon and Rinchei. Jaarin spent some time asking Jen-chan and I about our dates and how long we've liked each other. She thinks we're "really cute" as a couple.

Kenta found out his parents knew he was gay. His Dad told him he's "sort of obvious," which Kenta says he _did not_ like hearing. They _didn't _know that he was with Hirokazu..They thought Kenta "really liked him" but Hirokazu was "straight as an arrow." And, yes, Hirokazu _loved_ hearing that!

We also told the others. Ruki knew the whole time, she said. I think, in reality, she only suspected us but...She's Ruki.

Ryou supports us. He also thought the idea of our "turtle club" was cool. He wants to join.

And as for Juri...

...Um...

She supports us, at least, she said she did.

...But...

Well, I haven't spoken to her since we told her about five days ago. I'm worried she might have just been polite at the time and doesn't really approve... We're discussing that possibility right now as _none of us_ have spoken to her since she found out, apparently.

"...Juri's _not_ like that," Kenta says. "She's probably been busy."

I nod. "Y-Yeah, that's probably it," I shrug. We're having another play date in my room. Paperweight is giving Shouseigame another ride around the pen. This time Hirokazu helped Shousei-chan 'climb up' when he started to look 'friendly' with Paperweight. Shousei-chan really likes the rides.

"Yeah, I can't picture Juri cutting us out of her life like that," Jen says. "She probably has been bus-"

There's a loud scream downstairs, it's my Mom.

I stand up and hurry to the top of the stairs. "MOM! Everything okay?"

"F-Fine! Y-You have another guest! That's...all... Oh, _GODS!_" ...What the...?

"Hey, Takato! I'll meet you in your room! I heard you guys were having a turtle play date!" ...Juri?

"O-Okay!" I go back to tell the others, my door closes most of the way behind me. "Um...Juri's here. I guess she wants to meet the turtles."

"Why'd your Mom scream...?" Hirokazu asks.

I shrug. "N-No idea..."

There's a knock at the slightly opened door. I go and open it-_HOLY SHIT!_

Juri's standing in the hallway, smiling. She _definitely_ approves of us and was just busy. Because I see what she was probably busy with...

...Juri has a _huge iguana_ sitting on her shoulders. Its staring at me as Juri pets it with one hand. "Hey, guys! Can Leo join in your play date?"

Everyone stares at her in shock, I can only stand at the door stammering...

...That lizard is _huge!_ I-I mean, HUGE even by iguana standards! I'm amazed Juri can support his weight on her shoulders like that!

"Sorry he's not a turtle, but the pet store was all out. And he looks _so_ cute! I couldn't say 'no' to him! I promise, he's really friendly, _please?_" Juri says, scratching Leo's chin.

I can _easily_ guess who she named him after.

"Su-Sure...Co-Come on in..." I step aside, Juri sets her iguana down in the pen. It moves out of Paperweight's way as he does a lap with Shousei-chan on his back. Paperweight stops, turns to face the iguana for a moment, then continues on his way. Shousei-chan hides in his shell until Paperweight is a bit away from Leo.

Tama-kun and Jin approach cautiously at first but they don't seem to mind the non-shelled addition to the "club."

It's a good thing I made the pen a lot bigger this time around. I wanted to give Paperweight more room to do laps this time, Hirokazu told he that he likes _a lot_ of space. In fact, Hirokazu's been trying to convince his parents to let Paperweight roam around the entire apartment, not just his room.

Juri spends a few moments petting the turtles and introducing them to Leo...

"Leo, play nice with the turtles, okay? Be good! And, here, I brought you your favorite..." She reaches into the book bag at her side, pulling out a _huge_ bag of chopped fruit. "Pineapples, peaches, plums...Everything you like! But you _have_ to share, okay? You're _so cute!"_ She pets the iguana's head, its eying the bag of fruit. She pulls out a plate and puts a few handfuls of fruit down for Leo...He eats it up. "Awww..." She turns to us. "Isn't he _adorable?_"

"Y-Yeah...And freakin' _huge!"_ Hirokazu says.

"You make a great mother, Juri-chan..." Kenta adds, wearily.

Jen nods slowly, saying, "I-I never knew you to like lizards so much. Or at all."

Juri turns back to Leo. "He's _super_-friendly! I thought he'd like to meet your turtles! And I told Ruki to get one, too! She's thinking about it, she says, but I _know_ I can get Ryou to get an iguana, too...He really likes Leo!" She continues petting Leo as he eats. "We could have a Turtle-Lizard School Club! Then we can bring them all to school with us! Would you like that, Leo-chan? Go to school with me?"

I look to Jen, Hirokazu and Kenta...

...I think all of our expressions are saying the exact same thing:

Juri is _insane!_

~Owari~

* * *

Ori's Notes:  
Eh, not sure if Takato's parents finding out was a good idea or not, but I wanted Takato and Jen to not have to worry about reactions from family and friends after the fic was over. And I wanted to throw in another Ambiguously Gay Tamers "Together Since The Dawn of Time" joke. On that note: The line "Hirokazu's Herokame," is (obviously) a pun on Hirokazu's name: "Kame" means "turtle."

And the ending with Juri...I couldn't resist it, I could really see Juri doing this to support her friends and finding the iguana to be adorable, too...Not saying they aren't cute, though (they are!). And lizards need love, too!

As you can guess from this fic, I like reptiles _a lot_. Especially turtles!

Regarding the species of box turtle featured: The Zhou's Box Turtle is actually endangered...You can pretty much only find them _in pet stores!_ So, yeah, Takato and the others are the proud owners of an endagered species! The main reason I went with Zhou's Box Turtles was because I couldn't think of any non-aquatic turtles from China\Japan. That and they're _so_ cute!

Hope you enjoyed this fic!

* * *

Taiki's Notes:

Ha ha ha, Juri wanted to join the Turtle Club! Or, rather, _Reptile_ Club since she got an iguana! I like that, especially since Juri is supporting her friends! Sort of in an odd way but support is always good!

I'm glad everyone has support from friends and family. And _especially_ from their reptile friends. Turtles don't strike me as judgmental, though. Iguanas, too.

-Taiki Matsuki


End file.
